EconomySpain’s economy first started to expand when missions were launched into the New World starting with Columbus and continuing with the conquistadors in the Americas. When they arrived there, they found native peoples, and their conflict with these peoples helped them not only to assert their dominance but to get more slaves to work for their sugar plantations. The discovery of the great abundance of silver in South America let to a shift in the political and economic dynamic of both the New World and the Old World. Because the Spanish stakes in the New World included so many areas with an abundance of silver, they held the upper hand in the European market, the Indian Ocean system, and even over Portugal, who had significantly less silver than Spain. Spain became a larger player in the world economy, but suffered (along with many other European countries) inflation, and fluctuation of wealth. Though their wealth varied less than other countries because they were the ones supplying, controlling, and regulating the trade of silver, their own economy was affected nonetheless. PoliticalThe biggest points of conflict in Spain stemmed from religious dispute and silver. Within Spain, the Inquisition played a big part in a shift of the population, and the way in which Spain was ruled. When the Moors were eradicated from Spain, this also changed the dynamic of Spain and what kinds of people lived there. The biggest political shift, however, occurred in the New World. First, Spain and Portugal fought over territory in the New World, which only ended in the Treaty of Tordesillas, issued by the pope. Spain had an advantage because their land had much more silver, and they had a lot more land. Spain’s method of conquering the native peoples there was aimed in two directions. The first being brutal force, Spain was able to easily overpower the native people because of their new technology. Second, they had a hard time overpowering the natives without killing them all, because they needed slaves to work on extracting silver and on sugar plantations. To solve this problem, they Spanish that colonized these areas intermarried with the locals and worked their way up on the preexisting social ladder of the natives. The Spanish did the same with the North American natives, as the Spanish and the French worked more with the natives as opposed to England.
Definitions:encomiendas:a grant for the Spanish government given to conquistadors to fund the colonization of the New World, and to be able to support the costs of slaves living and working in those places. The slaves weren’t given much to live, and as a result of both that and their forced labor, many people died working on sugar plantations or in silver minessilver:was found in the Aztec and Inca empire, and used by the Spanish and Portuguese to transform the world economy from the early 16th century on. Silver became a large determining factor in the shifts of the world economy in that time as well as the political interactions and colonization of the New WorldColumbian Exchange:The Columbian exchange was the trade of goods and ideas between Europe and the New World. This was useful to Europe because it spread Catholicism, which was the prevailing religion at the time, and many of the goals of conquistadors at the time was to convert indigenous people to the Catholic religion.Atlantic System:The exchange between Europe, the Americas, and Africa, which used slaves from Africa and the Americas to work on one of those continents either mining silver or in sugar plantations. Although the negative effect was large, it promoted the mixing of peoples and the spread of culture from these different places, i.e. language, customs, and many art/writing accounts were inspired by these experiences. Many firsthand accounts tell us what life was like then and the speaker’s interactions with different peoples.3Gs: Gold, glory, and God were often referred as the motivations of conquistadors to go to the new world. Politics and money were a big factor, not only for them but for the Spanish culture, as well as religion which increased the commonalities between peoples and made the indigenous look more ‘civilized’ in the eyes of the Spanish.Locations:Tenochtitlan:the Capital of the Aztec empire, which used intermarriage as a form of rising in social/political power. The Spanish ‘exploited’ this system by first conquering the Aztecs, and them using intermarriage in order to gain the respect of the Aztec peoplesNew World:the New World is North, Central, and South America, or view in a Euro-centrist manner, the part of the world that wasn’t Africa, Asia, or most importantly Europe. The New World infused the culture of the Old World with both customs of the New World, and the resources of the New World which helped to shape the everyday lives of those in the Old World.North America: consisting of present day America and Canada, as well as Mexico, North America became a point of contention between the large European powers, each fighting for territory and colonization of that area. The social practices of the Spanish changed drastically in order to work relatively harmoniously with the people that lived there, which eased the force of the Spanish (as well as other countries) colonization of North America.Social Backdrop/EducationDuring the rule of the Habsburgs, the Spanish empire rose and started to become the largest empire, which it would finally achieve under the rule of the Bourbons in the 1700s. For examples, throughout the 16th century, the large Spanish city of Seville grew to 2.5 times its previous size, and was home to 150,000 people. At that time, however, only people of direct Spanish descent were considered to be important in the eyes of Spain, as the Spanish didn’t care much about the well being of their “slaves” in the New World, past the condition they had to be in to work. As a result, not many people at the time were able to read, because the Aztecs did not share the Spanish language prior to the Spanish colonization of their empire. Most of the native Spanish (especially men) were able to read and write, mainly the conquistadors because they had to be able to keep accounts about their experiences and to write letters back to the king/government.The household image at the time was similar to early patriarchal America, where women were in charge of meal preparation and the responsibility over children and animals. The only difference, however, was the fact that women were allowed to partake in much of the harvesting and farming of the food. Gender roles were enforced for children from the time of birth, as they grew up learning from their parents, and were given toys that reinforced their place in the house.
Architecture The Alhambra palace, although constructed slightly before the focused time period, reflected many of the values of that time period. The textbook focuses on the reclaiming of Spain by the Christians, while the depictions in the Alhambra had Moor influences. The Alhambra for a long time was a place where the non-Christians could take refuge at the time of the Inquisition, and it was a place where their culture was ‘allowed’ to grow independently. At the time, some tolerance for other religions was permitted, if only they were not practiced in the open. The palace features many elaborate designs, as well as overlooks, a ‘fountain of lions’ and many rooms that were unique depending on their purpose. The palace was also home to wonderful gardens, and fruits which helped to sustain people there.
Outside view: this is the view of the Alhambra from one of the many cobblestone streets in the Old Sector of Madrid.
Court of Lions: this view is adjacent a room with colorful mosaics, the court of lions features a fountain held up by lion statues.
Glass ceiling: the room shown with a stained glass ceiling also has windows and alcoves on every wall, and bars over holes in the wall that overlook the city
Still Life With Lemons, Oranges, and a Rose by Francisco de Zurbarán cerca 1633
This painting demonstrates the prevailing style of realism and naturalism, as still lifes were used to capture the raw, not-so-glamourous situations of everyday life, which was a really popular style of painting in the Baroque period.
Kero (wooden beaker) from the 1600s, unknown artist View Here
The kero shows a Spaniard, an Incan, and an African, integrated in a common dress/activity. The beaker is done in mosaic, which was a common medium throughout Latin America. This shows unity among the cultures, and the kero captures one moment, a snapshot that disregards the social hierarchy among the different cultures
Las Meninas, by Diego Velazquez (1656) View Here This painting was an important piece for it's time, first because it was in the Golden Age of Spanish art and made by a prominent artist at the time. It also expressed visuals of high class people, and expressed the social relationships between those in the royal court, for example maids, the royals, and the disabled (from interbreeding)
Vaulting with frescoes by Juan Gersón (1562) in the Franciscan church at Tecamachalco, Puebla, Mexico View Here
The Disrobing of Christ by El Greco, completed in 1579 as an altar piece View Here
Agnus Dei by Francisco Zurbarán was completed in 1640, and it’s content was an allusion to the sacrifice and death of Christ View Here
The collection of poems relays a theme of gluttony and optimism, which was a very present and shaping force for the elite Spanish, who were the audience of this poem. Because few of the unprivileged were able to read, the subjects of these poems were rarely about the less fortunate, and the few things that were were written as observations/firsthand accounts.
Reflection The culture of the Spanish mainland grew significantly, which can be attributed to the outpouring of wealth they gained from their colonies. Although the culture of the western hemisphere had a lot less of an effect on Spain than Spain had on the colonies, Spain developed within itself and was influenced by the other European forces to a surge of art, writing, and cultural works. The New world, however, was presented with an entire new set of rules and social customs, and were forced into submission. Even though a lot of what happened from the slaves’ perspectives often were not recorded by any means other than oral tradition, but many primary sources were recorded nonetheless. The Spanish empire flourished in this time, as their control of the silver market put them at an economic - and often a political - advantage. This directly affected Spain’s relationships with other countries, which made the competition for the colonization of North America all the more fierce.
Definitions:encomiendas: a grant for the Spanish government given to conquistadors to fund the colonization of the New World, and to be able to support the costs of slaves living and working in those places. The slaves weren’t given much to live, and as a result of both that and their forced labor, many people died working on sugar plantations or in silver minessilver: was found in the Aztec and Inca empire, and used by the Spanish and Portuguese to transform the world economy from the early 16th century on. Silver became a large determining factor in the shifts of the world economy in that time as well as the political interactions and colonization of the New WorldColumbian Exchange: The Columbian exchange was the trade of goods and ideas between Europe and the New World. This was useful to Europe because it spread Catholicism, which was the prevailing religion at the time, and many of the goals of conquistadors at the time was to convert indigenous people to the Catholic religion.Atlantic System: The exchange between Europe, the Americas, and Africa, which used slaves from Africa and the Americas to work on one of those continents either mining silver or in sugar plantations. Although the negative effect was large, it promoted the mixing of peoples and the spread of culture from these different places, i.e. language, customs, and many art/writing accounts were inspired by these experiences. Many firsthand accounts tell us what life was like then and the speaker’s interactions with different peoples.3Gs: Gold, glory, and God were often referred as the motivations of conquistadors to go to the new world. Politics and money were a big factor, not only for them but for the Spanish culture, as well as religion which increased the commonalities between peoples and made the indigenous look more ‘civilized’ in the eyes of the Spanish.Locations:Tenochtitlan: the Capital of the Aztec empire, which used intermarriage as a form of rising in social/political power. The Spanish ‘exploited’ this system by first conquering the Aztecs, and them using intermarriage in order to gain the respect of the Aztec peoplesNew World: the New World is North, Central, and South America, or view in a Euro-centrist manner, the part of the world that wasn’t Africa, Asia, or most importantly Europe. The New World infused the culture of the Old World with both customs of the New World, and the resources of the New World which helped to shape the everyday lives of those in the Old World.North America: consisting of present day America and Canada, as well as Mexico, North America became a point of contention between the large European powers, each fighting for territory and colonization of that area. The social practices of the Spanish changed drastically in order to work relatively harmoniously with the people that lived there, which eased the force of the Spanish (as well as other countries) colonization of North America.Social Backdrop/EducationDuring the rule of the Habsburgs, the Spanish empire rose and started to become the largest empire, which it would finally achieve under the rule of the Bourbons in the 1700s. For examples, throughout the 16th century, the large Spanish city of Seville grew to 2.5 times its previous size, and was home to 150,000 people. At that time, however, only people of direct Spanish descent were considered to be important in the eyes of Spain, as the Spanish didn’t care much about the well being of their “slaves” in the New World, past the condition they had to be in to work. As a result, not many people at the time were able to read, because the Aztecs did not share the Spanish language prior to the Spanish colonization of their empire. Most of the native Spanish (especially men) were able to read and write, mainly the conquistadors because they had to be able to keep accounts about their experiences and to write letters back to the king/government.The household image at the time was similar to early patriarchal America, where women were in charge of meal preparation and the responsibility over children and animals. The only difference, however, was the fact that women were allowed to partake in much of the harvesting and farming of the food. Gender roles were enforced for children from the time of birth, as they grew up learning from their parents, and were given toys that reinforced their place in the house.
The Alhambra palace, although constructed slightly before the focused time period, reflected many of the values of that time period. The textbook focuses on the reclaiming of Spain by the Christians, while the depictions in the Alhambra had Moor influences. The Alhambra for a long time was a place where the non-Christians could take refuge at the time of the Inquisition, and it was a place where their culture was ‘allowed’ to grow independently. At the time, some tolerance for other religions was permitted, if only they were not practiced in the open. The palace features many elaborate designs, as well as overlooks, a ‘fountain of lions’ and many rooms that were unique depending on their purpose. The palace was also home to wonderful gardens, and fruits which helped to sustain people there.
Outside view: this is the view of the Alhambra from one of the many cobblestone streets in the Old Sector of Madrid.
Court of Lions: this view is adjacent a room with colorful mosaics, the court of lions features a fountain held up by lion statues.
Glass ceiling: the room shown with a stained glass ceiling also has windows and alcoves on every wall, and bars over holes in the wall that overlook the city
Art
Watch this video on Baroque style painting: Baroque Painting
Still Life With Lemons, Oranges, and a Rose by Francisco de Zurbarán cerca 1633
This painting demonstrates the prevailing style of realism and naturalism, as still lifes were used to capture the raw, not-so-glamourous situations of everyday life, which was a really popular style of painting in the Baroque period.
Kero (wooden beaker) from the 1600s, unknown artist View Here
The kero shows a Spaniard, an Incan, and an African, integrated in a common dress/activity. The beaker is done in mosaic, which was a common medium throughout Latin America. This shows unity among the cultures, and the kero captures one moment, a snapshot that disregards the social hierarchy among the different cultures
Las Meninas, by Diego Velazquez (1656) View Here
This painting was an important piece for it's time, first because it was in the Golden Age of Spanish art and made by a prominent artist at the time. It also expressed visuals of high class people, and expressed the social relationships between those in the royal court, for example maids, the royals, and the disabled (from interbreeding)
Vaulting with frescoes by Juan Gersón (1562) in the Franciscan church at Tecamachalco, Puebla, Mexico View Here
The Disrobing of Christ by El Greco, completed in 1579 as an altar piece View Here
Agnus Dei by Francisco Zurbarán was completed in 1640, and it’s content was an allusion to the sacrifice and death of Christ View Here
TIMELINE
View Here
Literature
The collection of poems relays a theme of gluttony and optimism, which was a very present and shaping force for the elite Spanish, who were the audience of this poem. Because few of the unprivileged were able to read, the subjects of these poems were rarely about the less fortunate, and the few things that were were written as observations/firsthand accounts.
Reflection
The culture of the Spanish mainland grew significantly, which can be attributed to the outpouring of wealth they gained from their colonies. Although the culture of the western hemisphere had a lot less of an effect on Spain than Spain had on the colonies, Spain developed within itself and was influenced by the other European forces to a surge of art, writing, and cultural works. The New world, however, was presented with an entire new set of rules and social customs, and were forced into submission. Even though a lot of what happened from the slaves’ perspectives often were not recorded by any means other than oral tradition, but many primary sources were recorded nonetheless. The Spanish empire flourished in this time, as their control of the silver market put them at an economic - and often a political - advantage. This directly affected Spain’s relationships with other countries, which made the competition for the colonization of North America all the more fierce.
Bibliography
"Alhambra Palace." 4Images Gallery. Accessed November 5, 2015. http://hqworld.net/gallery/details.php?image_id=24060&sessionid=9e3a78431336077bf28f21f70ba3f70d.
"Baroque Painting: Style, Characteristics, and Artists." Study.com. Accessed November 04, 2015. http://study.com/academy/lesson/baroque-art-and-architecture.html.
"Exploration." The Colonial Period. Accessed November 05, 2015. http://bishop.jmstanton.com/smu/smu_2_colonial_1.htm.
"Kero." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Accessed November 05, 2015. http://www.britannica.com/art/Latin-American-art/images-videos/Peruvian-wood-beaker-mid-17th-century-depicting-an-Inca-a/88443.
"Latin American Art." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Accessed November 05, 2015. http://www.britannica.com/art/Latin-American-art.
"Rigidity of Class Structure in Central America." UCLAST203-2010 -. Accessed November 05, 2015. http://uclast203-2010.wikispaces.com/Rigidity+of+Class+Structure+in+Central+America.
"Spanish Empire." Wikipedia. Accessed November 05, 2015. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Empire#The_Spanish_Habsburgs:_The_Sun_Never_Sets_.281516.E2.80.931700.29.